Elastic-fluid turbine.



No. 807,145. PATENTBD DB0. 12, 1905. G. WESTINGHOUSE.

BLASTIG FLUID TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wma/w00 14mm/Lto@ @ttm/MM5 Vr PATBNTED DEC. 12, 1905.

G. WESTINGHOUSE.

ELASTIG FLUID TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

ELASTlC-FLUID TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application iiled November 17. 1904. Serial No. 233,053.

To a/ZZ whom it Wtay concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WEsT1NG- HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Elastic-Fluid Turbines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elastic-fluid turbines.

It has been found `with certain types of turbines, especially with those in which the pressure drops occur entirely in stationary agents, such as nozzles, that the spill of iluid past the inner peripheral edges of the members carrying the agents or nozzles constitutes a considerable leakage or loss. If these parts or sections carrying the nozzles or agents are ri idlysecured to the stator-casing, a considerab e clearance must be left between their inner peripheral edges and the rotor lying within them, as stators as well as rotorsv of turbines are lable to and do distort and the rotors do shift their aXesunder certain operating conditions which arise.

It is the primary object of this invention to minimize this spill past the peripheral edges of the stationary members, to preserve a substantially Huid-tight joint between the rotor and stator portions which carry the agents for converting the thermal energy of the working iuid into kinetic energy, and to mount these stator portions so that if the rotor for any cause moves from its geometric aXis and if the stator distorts or if the peripheral portions of the rotor become distorted the stator portions can readily move radially from their positions to accommodate abnormal conditions encountered.

With certain turbines as now constructed, in which the pressure drops occur in stationary agents, it is customary to form these agents or nozzles in partitions which extend to the turbine-shaft in order to prevent the leakage or spill above referred to. This construction necessitates the building of the turbine with a plurality of wheels, each located in a comartment formed by two of these partitions. In order to do away with the necessity of emloying separate wheels, I mount the annuar rows of impulse-blades of the turbine on a drum which corresponds in diameter to the diameter of the wheels utilized in the type before mentioned.

The clearance between the rotor-drum and the stationary members, including the agents for converting the thermal energy of the fluid into kinetic energy, occurs between the inner edges of the members carrying such agents and the rotor drum between the annular rows of impulse-blades- In the drawings presented herewith, throughout which corresponding elements are denoted by like characters, Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a portion of a turbine embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view in which a modified construction, to be hereinafter described, is utilized. Figs. 3 and i'are views in side elvation of one of the nozzle-sections employed in this invention. Fig. 5 is a developed plan of said nozzle-section looking toward the inner edge thereof, and Fig. 6 is a detail of the abutting ends of two of the nozzle-sections.

The turbine, which may be of any type and either double or single flow, may employ a primary stage, in which the energy due to velocity obtained by converting the thermal energy of the working fluid into kinetic energy in the form of velocity is fractionally abstracted, or such a primary stage may be omitted and the entire thermal energy of the working fluid through small successive drops converted into kinetic energy in the form of velocity and the energy due to said velocity wholly absorbed after each dro in one moving annular row of impulse-b ades, and as the form of turbine as a whole does not enter into the invention, but is claimed in a pending application iled by me, I merely describe a small portion of the same.

The rotor 6 carries a plurality of annular rows of impulse-blades 7, and the stator 8 at portions suitably located with reference to the impulse-blades is provided with annular channels 9. Each annular channel 9 of the stator is provided with two offset portions, (numbered 10 and 11, respectively.) Located within each of the channels 9 are a number or plurality of nozzle-sections 12, each having an offset portion 13, located in channel-offset 10, and an offset portion 14, located in channel-offset 11. Portion 15, which is that portion lying below offset portion 13, is provided with fluid-passages 16, formed in any suitable manner and which serve as nozzles. Shoulder 17 of each channel 9 forms a limiting-stop for limiting the inward movement or the movement of the nozzle-section 12 toward the rotor, and springs formed for that purpose in the outer periph- IOO IIO 18, which lie within grooves or channels 19 y ery of the nozzle-sections, tend to yieldingly force the nozzle-sections in contact with the stop-shoulders 17, and therefore toward the rotor.

As shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, but one spring is utilized for each nozzle-section; but, if desired, as many springs for each nozzlesection as is found suitable may be utilized. One end of the spring 20, which is bent over, lies within a hole drilled in the nozzle-section, while the other end of the spring rests against the periphery of the section within the springchannel 19.

lf desired, holes 21 may be drilled in the stator-casing opposite channel 9 and a device utilizing a spiral spring 22 and plunger 23 may be utilized for yieldingly forcing the segments in contact with the stop-shoulders.

The nozzle-sections 12 are formed with the offset portion 13, which carries nozzles 16, for the reason that as the pressure within the nozzles is less at the discharge side'of the nozzles than at the inlet side of the nozzles a greater area is exposed to the high-pressure iuid to balance the area exposed to the highpressure fluid due to the offset 14, and by proper proportioning a practical balance may e obtained.

Fluid-passages 25, which are formed by drilling holes of suitable size through the offset portions 13 of the nozzle-sections, lead into the channels behind said offset portions to insure that the inner faces of the offset portions will be subjected to the same fluidpressures as the end faces are subjected to, andby this means it will be seen that the fluid-pressures on all sides of the nozzle-sections are substantially balanced.

By cutting the ends of the nozzle-sections, as illustrated in the drawings, with that portion outside of the channels at an angle substantially parallel to the walls of the passages or nozzles -16 it will be seen that what fluid leaks through the joint between abutting nozzle-sections will be directed into the nozzle immediately adjacent thereto.

lt will be understood that where fluidtight packing for rotatable shafts or spindles is necessary this invention is applicable. A ring or rings each formed of sections capable of being inserted within a groove or channel pirovided with an inward limiting stop-shouler, such as is here shown, may be utilized with springs or other means for yieldingly holding the ring in normal position against the stops, and it will be seen that this application of the yieldingly-mounted rings is the same in principle as that just above described, except that no fluidpassages will extend through the rings.

In order to obtain the smallest amount of clearance between the inner edges of the nozzle-sections of the rotor, the nozzle portions of the nozzle-sections may be formed slightly longer than is necessary, and in operation a limited amount will be ground down, which wearin down will cease when the offset portions o the nozzle-sections contact with the limiting stop-shoulders. After these nozzlesections are properly ground down further wear will not be appreciable, as there will be no contact between the rotor and the nozzlesections except when abnormal conditions arise, in which cases the nozzle-sections will move so that their axes do not correspond to the geometric axis of the rotor.

Having thus described this invention, l claim- .j

1. ln an elastic-fluid turbine, in combination with its rotor, a nozzle or blade section mounted in the stator and movable radially outward from its normal position and means tending to yieldingly hold said section so that its axis coincides with the geometric axis of the rotor.

2. In an elastic-fiuid turbine, in combination with the rotor thereof, a nozzle ring mounted in thestator so as to be capable of radial movement in all directions and means tending to yieldingly hold the same concentric with its normal axis. v

3. In an elastic-fluid turbine, a rotor, noz zle-sections located in and movable radially of the stator beyond the periphery of the rotor-and means yieldingly holding said sections toward the rotor.

4. In an elastic-fluid turbine, a rotor, sections mounted in the stator portion peripherally of the rotor and provided with iluiddirecting passages and means yieldingly forcing said sections toward the rotor.

5. ln an elastic fluid turbine, a rotor, loosely mounted stator members having fluid directing passages extending therethrough, means limiting the movement of said members toward the rotor andagents yieldingly forcing said members toward said means.

6. In an elastic-fluid turbine, nozzle-sections loosely mounted in the casing thereof and yielding means tending to force said sections radially inward.

7.y In combination with a rotatable shaft, a casing located peripherally thereof, a ring located in the casing and capable of movement radially of the shaft, means limiting the inward movement of said ring and means tendingA to yieldingly hold said-ring towardvthe limit of its inward movement.

8. In an elastic-fluid turbine, a rotor, a stator, nozzle-sections carried by the turbinestator radially movable and normally lheld in close proximity with the periphery of the rotor and means yieldingly holding said sections in normal position.

9. In an elastic-fluid turbine, a rotor, a channeled stator, members located within said channel and having nozzles-formed therethrough and springs located in saidichannel for forcing said members toward said rotor.

IOO

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10. In an elastic --luid turbine, agents loosely mounted in the turbine-stator Whereby a portion of the thermal energy of the Working fluid is converted into kinetic Ienergy in the form of velocity, an annular row of impulse-blades carried by the turbine-rotor for zo the Working fluid is converted into kinetic energy in the form of velocity, instrumentalil ties carried by the rotor whereby the energy due to said velocity is abstracted and means tending to yieldingly force said agents radially of the rotor.

13. In an elastic-Huid turbine, radiallymovable stator agents whereby a portion of the thermal energy of the working fluid is converted into kinetic energyv in the form of velocity, rotor instrumentahties whereby the energy due to said velocity is abstracted and yielding means holding said agents in close proximity to said rotor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of November,

GEO. WESTINGI-IOUSE. Witnesses:

JNO. S. GREEN, DAVID WILLIAMs. 

